The Thunderstorm
by TimmyJa
Summary: The first entry in a series I'm working on. In this opener, Rainbow Dash appears to Twilight during a raging thunderstorm with something important to say. What is it? And are these two ponies aware that their meeting could impact the Mane 6 and Ponyville?
1. The Thunderstorm

**The Thunderstorm**

Twilight Sparkle was sitting in her bed, reading up on the history of Ponyville for the sixteenth time. There was nothing to be done in her house; no cleaning, no rearranging, no cooking even. AppleJack visited earlier and dropped off some sweets, then went back to work on her farm. Pinkie Pie was working as well, and Fluttershy was tending to a sick deer. Having nothing better to do, Twilight gave Spike the day off; most likely, he was going to Rarity's house. There was no point in going outside either because grey, plump storm clouds were close on the horizon. The only pony that was available was Rainbow Dash, and Twilight was sure that she was either locked in her room reading the Daring-Do series, or tempting bolts of lightning by zipping through heavy clouds. Twilight put down her book and sighed. She looked out the window as tiny raindrops began to blot the glass. Thunder belched in the distance. Twilight tossed the book aside.

"Well," she said, "I'm bored. I never thought that reading could be so dull... Then again, I've read this book like, twenty times or something. Oh, who am I kidding? I've read ALL of the books in this library at least twenty times! And it's raining! Why does it have to be raining when there's nothing to do inside? Uuuuhhhh! Somepony please, save me before I -"

Somepony must have heard Twilight's cry for help because several rushed knocks at the door were heard throughout the house. Twilight, without any hesitation, leapt from her bed and to the door, shouting, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" as she did so. Opening the door as quickly as her arms allowed, Twilight stood in her doorway to the sight of a soaked and shivering Rainbow Dash. Rainbow managed to squeak out a small smile before her friend rushed her into the house.

"Rainbow, you're soaking wet!" exclaimed Twilight Sparkle. "Hold on, let me get a towel from the bathroom."

"Thanks Twilight," replied Rainbow. "Hey, is it alright if I crashed here for a while? This storm's lookin' like it's not gonna let up, I'll tell ya." She chuckled nervously.

"RD, you already know the answer to that. And you didn't have to knock, you know? You could've just barged in and yelled, 'I'm home!' and it would've been great. I love having you around." Twilight Sparkle threw Rainbow a towel and it landed on her face.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and dabbed her eyes with the towel. "You" - she swallowed - "you _mean that_, Twilight?"

Twilight Sparkle was in the kitchen. She brought out a large bottle and set in on the table in the library room, along with two glass cups. "Well of course I do, Rainbow; you're one of my best friends! Elements of Harmony, remember?" She giggled.

Rainbow Dash dabbed her eyes again, making sure that Twilight didn't see her. Taking the towel in her hooves, Rainbow Dash dried her head, then back, then wings. After she was done, Rainbow put the wet towel on the back of a chair and sat down. Twilight opened the bottle and poured a dark liquid into the glass cups. She gave one to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash put her head on the table and looked through the glass. "What is it?"

"AppleJack stopped over and gave me some tasty apple treats," said a giddy Twilight Sparkle, "and one of them happens to be her own brew of 'Zap Apple Cider'. She said it was aged in a giant rum barrel."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," exclaimed Twilight, "but it sounds good!"

"Umm, Twilight?"

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash?"

"This sounds like 'hard' cider. Ya know, like, uummm... alcohol?"

Twilight still had a wide smile on her face, staring at her cup. "Oh, c'mon Rainbow! Athletes can drink once in a while." She lifted her head and looked at her friend from across the table. "I thought I was the stick-in-the-mud. Lighten up, RD." She chuckled. "Betcha didn't know I had shot glasses lying around, did ya?"

"It's more than that," admitted Rainbow, "it's that I -" She rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof, eyeing the glass. "I'm just... I'm just not myself when I -"

"When you...?" encouraged Twilight.

"When I, uh, 'partake' in drinking such - such - uh, drinks." Rainbow Dash put her head down and blushed. "It's not something I like to talk about. That's why you don't see me drink that much. Fluttershy's party was an exception, but… I just can't, I'm sorry."

Twilight Sparkle's smile dropped from off her face. She put her elbow on the table, resting her head in her hoof. Tapping the table with her free hoof, Twilight gazed at her reluctant friend sitting across the table. Rainbow Dash was avoiding eye contact. Finally, after a few moments of tapping the table with her hoof, the young unicorn spoke up.

"Rainbow Dash, I don't want to force you to drink. All I was doing was suggesting that we have a good time together while we're here and there's a bad storm outside. To me, this was a special moment; a moment where we could just have a great time together. A moment where we could tell stories, laugh, even cause a little chaos. I'm very sorry for pressuring you, Rainbow. That wasn't my intention at all. I should be a good friend and realize that -"

Glass clinked against the wooden table. Twilight looked up and a large smile shot across her face again.

"Whoa! That's good cider," said Rainbow Dash quickly, as a **zap!** made her jump in her chair. She looked at Twilight and grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Are you gonna drink your cider, or should I have the bottle to myself?"

Twilight reeled her head back and guzzled down the cider. She exhaled loudly after finishing the glass, a small **zap!** making her jump. Recuperating, Twilight glared at the pegasus and said: "Challenge accepted."

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash finished the first bottle of cider and were nearly a third done with the second bottle. Both ponies decided that it was no use using glasses, so they took turns drinking from the bottle. Twilight was rolling on the floor, laughing hysterically, while Rainbow hovered above the first few steps of the stairs, clinging to the wall, also laughing hysterically. They were remembering the time when Rainbow Dash had to "babysit" a drunken, crying, puking Rarity at the party at Fluttershy's cottage. Big Mac had passed out in the chicken coop, while Miss CherriLee was singing "My Endless Love" at karaoke.

Twilight wiped away a tear, her laughter dying down. "That was a great time. I think that Whooves and Derpy got together because of that party." She slowly stopped laughing and her smile dissolved. "It must be hard to be a single parent trying to find a new love."

"I know," said Rainbow, "poor Derpy. She and Dinky deserve so much better." Rainbow Dash took a sip of the bottle and then flew down next to Twilight. She passed the bottle to her unicorn friend, who took a large gulp.

"You know," started Twilight, a little annoyed, "all it was was genetics. I mean, Derpy had a few unicorns in the family, like Mr. Cake did, ya know?!"

"Yeah, and Derpy," replied Rainbow Dash obnoxiously, "and Derpy is more loyal than I am! I mean, I think she should have the Element of Loyalty. She would **never **do that to, to -"

Rainbow started to drift off. She began to settle down and then, randomly, Rainbow covered her mouth and began to sob quietly. It took a moment before Twilight noticed that her friend was crying, but as soon as she did notice, she put down the cider and started to console the crying pegasus. Completely giving in to her friend's embrace, Rainbow Dash began to sob even heavier.

"RD," Twilight whispered, "what's wrong? Did that story bring up some bad memories?"

Rainbow Dash wiped the snot out of her nose. "No," she replied, "no, it's nothing like that. It's just -"

"Just what?"

"No, I can't. It's so dumb; it's nothing to even cry about!"

"If it's bothering you this much, then it's a problem. Now, tell me what it is. Please."

"Alright," Rainbow Dash said, "I'm..." She locked her mouth, but Twilight nudged her, encouraging her friend to continue.

Finally, Rainbow Dash blurted out her problem and began sobbing again. "I'm in _love_, Twilight! Okay? It's been bothering me for the entire day for some reason and, and us talking about 'Whooves and Derpy getting togther' and CheeriLee singing 'Endless Love' - Well, I'm drunk right now and I'm not making much sense, but I have a love, ya know? I have somepony I really, really, REALLY, adore and I'm afraid of being rejected, and not finding the right words -"

Twilight Sparkle put a hoof to her friend's mouth. She smiled. "It's alright, Rainbow Dash," she said. "I know what you're talking about and there's nothing wrong with being in love. Everypony falls in love and you're no different; it's a natural phenomenon! So, take a few deep breaths - in your nose, out your mouth - and I'll help you out, okay? Does that sound good?"

Rainbow wiped her tears away and did her breathing exercises through a runny nose. She began to smile. "Thanks Twilight. You always know what to do."

"Well, not always," Twilight said. "I can be pretty scatter-brained sometimes. But, I always figure out what to do when my friends are in trouble, right?"

"Yeah," replied Rainbow, "yeah, you always" – she cleared her throat - "always know what to do when your, uh, _friends _are in trouble_." _

The two ponies sat down at the table, the bottle of cider in the center. Both had sobered up a little bit, but they were still warm from the alcohol. It was nearly midnight and the thunderstorm still raged outside, branches hitting the windows, raindrops splashing the house. Rainbow Dash fiddled around with her glass, clinking it in between her hooves and the wooden surface of the table. Twilight straightened herself in her chair and began to speak.

"Okay, so you're in love with somepony, right?"

"Y-yeah," replied Rainbow nervously.

"Pegasus, unicorn, or earth pony?"

"Unicorn."

"Ooohh, Rainbow Dash," teased Twilight, "you like things a little 'magical', do you?"

Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. "A little."

"Alright, back to business. What is he like? Strong? Smart? Shy?"

"He's -" Rainbow started to giggle. "He's an egghead, but that's why I'm in love with him. He's pretty athletic, but he isn't an athlete, ya know?" With these words, Rainbow Dash started to open up more. "Wow, I don't even know how to describe the feelings I get when I'm around him. It really is magical. I've known him for a long time and we're great friends, but he doesn't even suspect how I feel."

"You really are in love with him, aren't you?"

"Of course. I wouldn't know what to do if he said 'no'. Honestly, I'd be devastated."

Getting out of her chair, Twilight Sparkle went over to the record player and put on a song... A very familiar song. Then she dimmed the lights and sat back down in her chair.

"Twilight, what are you doing?"

"We're going to do a little role-playing."

"Why did you dim the lights and put on 'My Endless Love'?"

Twilight giggled. "What? Friends can listen to 'Endless Love' in the dark."

Rainbow Dash's breathing slowly started to quicken. "Why are you doing this?"

"It's to help you relax. When I want to relax, I put on a song that I love and dim the lights; it decreases stimulation for a soothing environment."

The young pegasus' eyes darted from ceiling to table, then to her friend. "I'm not relaxing."

Twilight rolled her eyes playfully. "Well, you're not trying! Just pretend that I'm the pony that you're in love with, alright? Now, you're going to admit your love to me, and I'll react as naturally as I can. Sound good?"

"I don't wanna do this."

Rainbow put her head in her hooves, making sure that Twilight couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes. Twilight's was still trying to keep her smile on her face, but it ultimately disappeared. The unicorn filly got out of her chair and walked over to her friend.

"Is this too much?" asked Twilight timidly. "I'm sorry. I only wanted to make a calming atmosphere so I could help you say what you wanted to say to. Honestly, I didn't mean to embarrass you Rainbow Dash."

The pegasus lifted her head up and gave a weak smile. "I know, and you're so sweet for doing this." Both ponies went in slowly for a hug, but before the hug could be completed, Rainbow Dash muttered, "I love you, egghead," causing Twilight to move her head back a little bit.

"RD, what did -" but Twilight was cut off by Rainbow Dash's lips planting themselves firmly on her own. Rainbow embraced her friend firmly in her arms and began to ascend. The two ponies were slowly spinning in the air, lips together.

Rainbow pulled her face away from Twilight's. "There's no way that you can be this oblivious," she whispered. "I came here today to tell you how I feel. Everything -"

"Can you let me down, please?" replied the unicorn. "Please, I-I need to be let down."

Rainbow Dash complied, and both the unicorn and the pegasus pony were on the floor. Head down, eyes filled with tears, Rainbow Dash readied herself for what she was sure was to come. Twilight, salty tears pouring down her cheeks, started to prepare her verdict. Inhaling through her nose, then out her mouth, the unicorn filly addressed her friend. 'My Endless Love' - the song that Twilight put on - started to wrap up.

"Rainbow Dash," she began, "you are one of my best friends and I love you. But, in no way do I love you like you love me. I'm not - _I'm not like that_. You need to understand that - while I'm a little flattered that you care so much for me - you crossed the line. This pains me to let you down like I am, but you need to know. I'm very sorry, Rainbow, and I hope that you'll forgive me for -"

"You lead me on," whispered Rainbow Dash angrily.

Twilight raised her eyebrow. "What? No, I didn't lead you on. I -"

"Yes you did," retorted Rainbow, "dimming the lights, the music, the role-playing: you knew what I was like and you planned this -"

"Stop it! I didn't plan anything, Rainbow! I told you that I wanted to make a soothing environment for you so you could open up! I wanted to help you!"

"You wanted to EMBARASS ME! You - you wanted to make me look stupid. I opened up to you so you could humiliate me, and now, now you're gonna tell everypony about it, aren't you?! **Right? You're gonna** -" Rainbow threw her glass across the room and began to sob. Sinking into her chair and onto the floor, the winged filly began to sob uncontrollably.

Putting a hoof to her mouth, eyes drenched, Twilight Sparkle rushed over to her friend and hugged her. Angry at what she saw as betrayal, Rainbow Dash pushed her friend away and clutched her sides. Still, Twilight hugged her again, and this time Rainbow accepted. Putting her cheek on top of Rainbow's head, Twilight Sparkle squeezed her friend, hoping to ease the pain.

"I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash," said Twilight, "I'm so sorry. I was trying to help. In no way did I mean to set you up and in no way am I going to embarrass you. Where in Equestria would you get such an awful idea? I'm your friend!"

"I know," replied Rainbow, wiping snot away with her arm. "I know, but I'm so -"

"Devastated?"

"Yeah! It - it hurts. I really love you, Twilight. I've never felt this way about anypony except you. It's not fair!"

"I know, I know; life isn't fair sometimes, but I'll have you know that you will always be my friend and I will never judge you. Never."

The thunderstorm still raged outside while Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle sat on the floor; Rainbow was crying the hardest she had that night, while Twilight hugged Rainbow, stroking her back. Occasionally, the pegasus filly would mutter "It's not fair", and her friend gently hushed her and held her closer.

"Twilight," said Rainbow, her eyes glossy, "I love you."

"I love you too, RD," replied Twilight, looking down at her friend.

"No, I_ really_ love you."

The unicorn struggled to keep her smile afloat. "You already know how I feel about that."

"I know, but I was hoping that you'd - that you'd, y'know, change your mind."

"You can't force ponies to fall in love, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash's lip quivered. "L-love potions work."

Twilight closed her eyes to hold back more tears. "Please, don't do this."

"I'm sorry, egghead," RD said, forcing a smile. She went in for a kiss, but Twilight gently rebuked her.

"It's not fair. It's not fair at all."

"I know Rainbow, but there's nothing I can do."

_ Dear Princess Celestia,_

_ Today I learned that love can be very cruel. It plays tricks on you and can cause strains in friendships, no matter how great that friendship is. And even though you can use love potions, true love - love that is brewed in the heart rather than a pot - can never be forced. It hurts, yes, but it is best to let natural love take the place of artificial love. I wish that my friend Rainbow Dash understood this as well; I hurt her, but if I wasn't honest with her, she would have been hurt worse. She is my friend and I love her._

_ Your faithful student, _

_ Twilight Sparkle_


	2. After the Thunderstorm

**After the Storm (The Thunderstorm II)**

"Hey Pinkie, have you seen Rainbow Dash lately?" Twilight Sparkle was at the front counter in Sugar Cube Corner with her friend Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash had been gone for several days and her friends were starting to worry. After the situation that took place at Twilight's house, the young pegasus could not be found anywhere.

Pinkie put her hoof to her chin and pondered. "Hhhmmm... Now that I think of it, I haven't seen Rainbow Dash since after that really-super-bad thunderstorm that we had about a week ago! I remember that she came in and ordered a milkshake - extra oats - and hardly said anything to anypony! She was really sad for some reason."

Twilight sighed. "Thanks, Pinkie."

Pinkie frowned. "There's nothing super-really-extra wrong with Rainbow, is there Twilight?"

"No," the unicorn replied assuringly, "it's nothing. Thanks for the help, Pinkie."

Rainbow Dash woke up, stomach and throat burning. A crust of vomit was at the corner of her mouth and her mane was ruffled. Her cracked, red eyes watered from last night's drinking session and drooped with the weight of her tears. She had one of her hooves propping up her bobbing head; the other hoof clutched an empty bottle of rum. Rainbow rolled over on her back slowly, the liquid in her stomach sloshing around uncomfortably. She held back a retch, then got up and stumbled out of bed. The covers were on the floor and almost caused her to trip. She cursed at the blankets, and then made her way to the kitchen. She found Lyra and started to mumble.

"What... what are you makin'?"

Lyra turned around, a smile stretched across her face. "Oh, hey sleepy! I'm cooking up some hay bacon strips and pancakes for you. It's the least I could do, considering how -" she blushed, and then continued. "-Considering how great of a time we had last night. How do you like your strips? Crispy? Chewy? Do you want any fruit in your pancakes? I could put some strawberries in there. Ooh! What about -?"

Rainbow Dash held up a hoof. There was silence for a few moments and then, pulling her words together, Rainbow spoke up, her words a little slurred.

"Lyra, you're alright okay? You're, y'know, a pretty cool filly, but I... uh, I gotta be honest with you: I'm not... this was a one-time thing, okay? We did this once and that's all, got it?"

The unicorn filly put down her pan and stopped frying the hay bacon strips. Her smile quivered for a moment, suspended on her face, trying not to drop into a frown. Lyra's eyes darted from Rainbow Dash to her pan. "I don't really, under- understand, Rainbow. Did I _upset_ you?"

Rainbow Dash let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, Lyra: in the real world, what we did is called a 'one night stand', meaning that we both had a little rumble-in-the-hay and after that, I piss off and we never bring this up. There's no cuddling, no making me breakfast, no relationship. Don't you understand the phrase 'no strings attached'? That's me: I'm not tied down by your little dreams of being in a commitment, okay?!"

Lyra's smile was starting to crack. Her eyes watered. "But you said last night that..."

"Ponies say anything to get some action."

"_You lied_?"

"Yes, Lyra, **I lied**. I lied to you and used you. That's life."

The young unicorn's smile was destroyed and her cheeks were dampened with her tears. "No, no. That's cruel! What you did was hurtful and cruel!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like I said: that's LIFE." The blue pegasus, now sober, walked to the door. "I'm sorry, Lyra," she said sternly, "but in life, ponies get hurt. You're no exception... neither am I."

"Wait, wait," said Lyra frantically, her body shaking. "We can talk. I mean, you just said that, that you're hurt: I-I can help y-you. We can- y'know... We can help each other. I can take it steady with you. Please, don't -" Lyra dropped her pan, hay bacon strips landing on the floor. She slid down onto the tile and began to sob heavily. Rainbow Dash left the house and slammed the door while Lyra continued to cry, muttering phrases like "I don't understand" or "It's not fair".

Twilight Sparkle knocked at Rarity's door. Rarity answered very quickly and welcomed her friend inside. Both fillies talked some small talk; Rarity was not busy, which surprised Twilight, considering how many dress orders Rarity usually worked on per day. Pouring her friend some tea, Rarity offered Twilight a seat; Twilight accepted, clutching the teacup in her hooves, blowing away the steam. The small talk continued, but Rarity cut herself short when she noticed that her friend's smile drooped.

"Twilight, dahling," she said, "whatever's the matter? You look so sad."

Twilight sighed. "It's Rainbow Dash. Something happened between us."

"Is that why she's been gone over a week?"

"Yeah. She -" The unicorn stopped herself. "I can't say it. I'm sorry."

Rarity gave a little smile. "Now Twilight, you brought it up so now you have to say it. You know that you can't leave me in suspense."

Rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof, Twilight Sparkle began to speak. "Rainbow Dash... she, well, uh, she sorta kinda - "

"Out with it, dahling!"

"She came over to my house during that big thunderstorm that we had last week to tell me something. I told her that she could stay at my place until the storm had passed. So, to pass the time, we started drinking some hard cider that AppleJack gave to me. After a little while, Rainbow Dash broke down and told me that she was in love with somepony; she wanted to admit her feelings to her love, so I decided that we should do a little... uh, role-playing. Then,she told me who she was in love with."

Rarity urged her friend on. "And who was this special somepony? Who's Rainbow in love with?"

Twilight put her head in her hoof and started to tear up. "Rarity, she's in love with **me**."

"What?!"

"She came to my house because she wanted to tell me that she was in love with me. And, and she thought that I lead her on. And she was afraid that - " Twilight gasped. "Oh no! No, no, no, no!"

"What is it, dahling? What's wrong?"

"Rarity, don't tell anypony about this, please!"

"Twilight, of course I won't tell! What kind of friend do you take me for?" Rarity walked over to Twilight and gave her a hug. She rubbed her shoulders to ease the stress. "Oh, RD's in the wrong place for this kind of thing."

Twilight lifted her head up and slowly moved away from Rarity. She narrowed her brow. "What do you mean by that?"

Rarity sighed, then took a long sip from her tea. "Twilight, dahling, this isn't Canterlot. Ponyville and Cloudsdale aren't as, uh, _progressive_ as your hometown. If this was to get out to the wrong ponies... Well, let's just say that Rainbow wouldn't be as welcome anymore."

"What? No, that can't be true! I mean, you don't seem to be bothered by Rainbow being a lesbian."

"That's because I work with lesbians and gays, dahling," replied Rarity matter-of-factly. "The fashion industry is filled with them, so of course it doesn't bother me. Also, I have a cousin who came out several years ago; my family and I attended his wedding in Los Pegasus. Very chic."

Twilight held up a hoof. "But I've never gotten a bigoted vibe from this place. For as long as I've been here, everypony seemed so friendly."

A sad smile stretched across Rarity's face. She put her hoofs on Twilight's shoulders. "You haven't lived here long enough, dearest. This is a typical small town: everyone seems friendly on the surface, but in reality it's a gossipy, intolerant sand trap. Of course, that's a generalization, but you'll find out what I say is - for the most part - very true."

Rainbow Dash was stumbling through the streets of Ponyville, holding a brown paper bag in one hoof. Her mane was still unkempt and she hadn't eaten anything throughout the day. She did not bathe; her coat smelled of rum and sweat. Ponies passed her in the street, some giving her strange looks, some completely oblivious to the drunken mare making her way through town. Noticing that some of the ponies were shooting her glances, Rainbow Dash shot back at them with her own strange faces. More than once, some ponies pulled their foals closer to them.

Taking another sip from her brown bag, the blue pegasus found a bench and plopped down onto it. She rubbed her eyes with one hoof, and then belched. Taking another swig of booze, Rainbow rubbed her mane while BonBon passed by. The earth pony narrowed her eyes in anger; Rainbow Dash saw the word "Bitch" form on her lips as she walked away. Another gulp from her bag dulled the pain in her heart, but a clenching hatred started to sprout.

_ Dear Princess Celestia,_

_ I want to give up. No more Elements of Harmony. No more Ponyville. No more adventures. I don't know what this letter is going to accomplish. I guess that I'm telling you that I don't see any point anymore. Please just help me or let me go._

_ Rainbow Dash_


	3. The Thunderstorm III: Plump Pony

**Plump Pony **(**The Thunderstorm III)**

Pinkie Pie was leaving Sugar Cube Corner, humming her "Smile" song, hopping to the beat. Everypony that heard her hum started to smile and join in. Pinkie's charisma lifted the spirits of the Ponyville residents and made them forget about their concerns. A filly that lost his balloon started to tear up, but as soon as he heard the pink pony's melody, he started to chuckle and smile wide. Nopony could pass Pinkie without giving at least a smirk.

Octavia, who was humming her own tune, passed the hyperactive pony. She turned around and smirked.

"Too busy to say 'Hi', are we?"

Pinkie spun to face Octavia and gasped. "Oh no! I'm sorry, Octavia! I was just so super wrapped up in my song that I didn't see you walk by. You know my 'Smile' song, don'tcha? Here, lemme start over -"

"It's quite alright," giggled the prim pony, adjusting her bowtie. "You're known to be quite active."

"Well, there's just sssooooo much for me to do and there's sssssooooo little time! I've got places to go, ponies to see, things to do, sweets to eat - "

Octavia cleared her throat and let out a small chuckle. "Well, yes, I can tell. You, uh, you DO like to eat your sweets."

The pink pony nodded furiously. "Uh-huh! I absolutely love cakes and jellybeans and cupcakes and taffy and -"

"Yes, yes, like I said: it shows."

Pinkie cocked her head in confusion. "What are you blibber-blabbering about, Octavia? You're not making any sense!"

Octavia sighed. "It means that -" she motioned to her stomach with her hoof and puffed her cheeks out. Pinkie cocked her head even further to the side.

"Do you have a tummy ache? Are you going to be sick?"

The ponies were taken aback for a moment. Then a brown pegasus answered, "Sure, cutie pie, you can try."

"Actually, my name is 'Pinkie Pie', silly rabbit!"

The orange earth pony gasped while the red pony's eyes widened. The two whispered to each other for a moment, leaving their friend

and their challenger perplexed. Finally, the red pony spoke up and asked: "Are you really Pinkie PieLaughing nervously, the grey pony replied, "Pinkie, I don't know how to say this without offending you but you're starting to get -"

Before Octavia could finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie darted over to a group of ponies near a coffee shop. They were taking turns stuffing marshmallows in their mouths;

they were playing 'plump pony', one of Pinkie's favorite games, and it was a game that Pinkie won almost every time. She ran

"Oooohhh! Are you guys playing 'plump pony'? Is it alright if I play a round or two or four?!"?"

Pinkie nodded furiously.

"The one-and-only Pinkamena Diane Pie? The Plump Pony Champion of Ponyville seven years in a row?! NO!"

"That's me: Plump Pony Champ times seven! Now... who wants to take me on?"

The red and orange ponies shook their heads, absolutely refusing to challenge the pink powerhouse. However, the brown pegasus laughed and then slammed a fresh bowl of marshmallows onto the table. He smirked then flicked his eyebrows up in a provoking manner; Pinkie giggled, and then placed a single fluffy marshmallow into her mouth. She uttered the phrase 'plump pony' with ease, then slid the bowl over to her opponent.

"Yeah," remarked the brown pegasus, "on the West Coast we do things better. I'm a five-time plump pony champ in Los Pegasus.

And if five seems too little to you, know this: we not only do things better - " he grabbed two marshmallows and shoved them into his mouth, then said 'plump pony' - "we do things harder on the West Coast." He pushed to bowl back to Pinkie. "Your move."

Pinkie Pie was a little shocked, but she recovered. A malicious grin was pinned across her face. She took the bowl and put two more marshmallows in

her mouth. They were warm and they started to stick to her teeth and inside her cheeks.

"Plump pony... P-Ville, represent."

* * *

A tiny crowd gathered around the two plump pony players. The red and orange stallions had lost count of how many marshmallows each contender had in their mouths.

The West Coast pegasus was struggling to fit another marshmallow into his mouth, while Pinkie toyed with him and added an additional ball of fluff in her mouth. Sweat

pouring down his face, hoofs on the table, the brown pegasus had no choice but to spit out everything in his mouth. A large, white blob of paste landed on the table with

a loud thud, making some ponies in the crowd squirm in disgust. Pinkie, knowing that her victory was secure, swallowed every marshmallow in her mouth with great ease.

"WOO-HOO! That's how we do it in Ponyville!"

The pegasus was still spitting up the white paste, cursing in between.

Pinkie held out a hoof. "Put 'er there! You were the most challenging challenger that ever challenged me!"

Smacking her hoof away, the angry pony shot Pinkie a dirty look. "Fat bitch," he muttered.

Pinkie's smile was slapped off of her face momentarily. The smile reappeared, but it came back weak and quivering. The crowd - including the orange and red earth ponies - either gasped or muttered between themselves.

"Did he just say that? No way he said it!" _"No way!"_ "Ouch, that's harsh." **"Prick."** "What a jerk; Pinkie's plump not fat."

"**Wow, that's a low blow**." "What a sore loser...she's not that fat." "_She's a little chubby, that's all_."

The orange earth pony addressed his friend. "Dude, Mack, that was uncalled for. Show some respect, bro."

"Yeah, come on," said the red earth pony, "don't be a sore loser."

Looking up at a smiling Pinkie (her eyes were getting a bit damp), he reluctantly held out his hoof to shake, grumbling. "Sorry," he said. "Good match." However, his eyes were narrowed and said another message completely.

"It's no," Pinkie started slowly, "no p-problem at all. You were just upset." She broadened her smile. Mack, the pegasus, snorted and turned away.

"I just got here about a day ago from Los Pegasus and I'm staying for a little over a week. Pick a time and place."

Mack and his two friends walked away. The crowd dispersed. Everypony left the coffee shop and only Pinkie Pie remained. Suddenly, the earlier conversation with Octavia started to make more sense.

_Well, yes, I can tell. You, uh, you DO like to eat your sweets._

_ Uh-huh! I absolutely love cakes and jellybeans and cupcakes and taffy and -_

_ Yes, yes, like I said: it shows._

Pinkie Pie looked down at her stomach and pinched a roll of fat in between her hooves. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she hiccupped from trying to hold in her sobbing. After a while, she let out her pain and ran crying back to her house. The phrase 'plump pony' scratched against her mind and the taste of marshmallows wrapped around her tongue. Pinkie's full stomach jiggled while she ran; this made her cry even more.

She ran to the bathroom and stared at the mirror. She had bits of marshmallow around her mouth. Her eyes were glassy and overflowed with tears. Taking a hoof, Pinkie lightly touched one of her cheeks; the pink pony in the mirror did the same. Pinkie turned to the side and surveyed her stomach, which bulged slightly; the pony in the mirror copied the movement and Pinkie gasped, then covered her mouth. More tears poured from her eyes as she moved her face in closer. She uncovered her mouthand muttered: "Plump pony.

The mirror-pony mimicked her.

"P-plump..." Pinkie Pie struggled with her words. "Plump... p-p-pony."

Still, the pony in the mirror copied her every movement.

Turning to one side, Pinkie sucked in her belly, hoping somehow that it would stay trimmed. She struggled the first time, then she successfully sucked in her stomach and even managed a small smile. Still, Pinkie could only hold in her belly for so long and soon, she exhaled, the pudgy stomach landing with a small plop. Her smiled quickly gave way to a large frown and her puffy pink hair deflated. A few sobs eked their way out of her mouth; Pinkie let herself cry again.

The bathroom was filled with the young pony's sobbing. Several long moments passed and Pinkie caught eye with her reflection. There it stood, looking right back at her, complete with a condescending smile. It opened its mouth and the voices of Mack, Octavia, and some of her friends came out:

_Fat bitch. _

_ Yes, yes, like I said: it shows._

_ Pinkie, you're the only pony I know who can eat more muffins than me._

_ You know, Pinkie, I don't think that it's such a great idea to have sweets almost every day. Have you ever read some of the ingredients in some of your favorite candy? I don't want to sound preachy... but Pinkie, I think that you should cut back on some of the food you eat._

_ Well hey thar, Pinkie! My, ain'tchu lookin' well fed? Come on, parndner! Wanna have some apple pah?_

_ Dahling, if you keep consuming all of those little sweet cakes, why, you won't even be able to fit into this lovely dress I made for you! It's The Grand Galloping Gala, Pinkie. I want us ALL to look our best!_

_ Um, Pinkie, maybe you shouldn't eat that much cake before we have lunch, I mean, if that's okay with you... I'm sorry, I don't want to be rude._

_ Hey, save some for the rest of us, Pinkie! Gosh! This was worse than when you nearly drank all the cider!_

Picking up a bar of soap at the bathroom sink and launching it at the mirror, Pinkie Pie fell to the floor and continued to sob even harder. Managing to pick herself up,she walked slowly to the toilet, picked up the lid, and stuck a hoof down her throat. Some of the day's contents emptied into the toilet bowl with a splatter; Pinkie kept one hoof on her belly, hoping to feel her roll of fat disappear with her meal. Another retching motion and even more splattering followed. More tears flowed from her eyes. Pinkie continued this pattern until she was certain that her stomach was empty. Afterwards, she fell to one side and cried for several hours.

* * *

"So what's your problem, you little prude? Huh? What is it? **Tell me**!"

Rainbow Dash was in a drunken stupor, prodding her hoof against BonBon's face and chest. The cream-colored pony was backed into a wall, looking frantically for a way out. Her breathing became shallower as the belligerent pegasus shouted insults and lightly - but hostilely - slapped BonBon's face, driving tears into her cheeks. A crowd was gathering around the two ponies, but nopony did anything. Rainbow Dash continued to harass her target.

"Whassamatter? You can call me a 'bitch' from a distance, butcha can't even... can't even say it ta me right here, right now? Come on, you prim, prim little 'bitch'! Throw up your hooves!"

A voice called out behind. "Ah'm ya Huckleberry." Rainbow Dash turned to see her friend AppleJack stomp from the center of the crowd. The orange earth pony took off her hat and gave it to a random gawker to hold, then proceeded up to the drunk pegasus and BonBon, who was shivering like a scared rabbit. Rainbow Dash narrowed her bloodshot eyes, sizing up her new threat.

"Jus' what in tarnation do ya think yer doin', Rainbow?" AppleJack demanded. "Ya know that BonBon ain't muchuva fighter. And ya smell like rum; you should go home and get some rest. NOW."

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Ya know, I think that I can take ya, even dr-drunk."

AppleJack inhaled harshly through her nose. "I knew that Ah'd hafta knock ya out. Yer too stubborn, especially after drinkin'. Ya sure thatcha wanna do this, Dash?"

"Pony trash," muttered Rainbow, as she swung her hoof and smacked her friend across the cheek. AppleJack reeled back a couple of steps, and then recovered. She sprang forward and uppercutted the mouthy pegasus with her left arm. Rainbow Dash reeled back into the wall; BonBon had already run to safety. A few shots to the stomach made Rainbow keel over a bit, but she returned the favor by punching AppleJack in the chest. AppleJack fell to the ground and Rainbow Dash started to kick her, but the orange pony blocked the blows. Reaching up and grabbing Dash's leg, AppleJack pulled her friend to the ground; the two ponies wrestled for a bit. Finally, Rainbow Dash stood up, AppleJack having her in a headlock. Using her wings, Dash boxed her antagonist's ears. AppleJack's grip loosened and Rainbow used this opportunity to elbow her friend in the stomach, sending her to the ground yet again. AppleJack got up quickly and right-hooked Rainbow Dash, knocking her off balance. Rainbow tried to regain her balance, but AppleJack right-hooked the blue pegasus two more times, sending her to the dirt.

Rainbow Dash slowly lifted her head from the ground.

"Ya sober now?" asked AppleJack, chest heaving and face bleeding.

"Go to hell," replied Dash, stumbling over herself to stand up. "I betcha liked doing this, didn't ya? Yeah, you're j-justa dirty redneck pony who likes to fight and, and drink."

"Pot calls the kettle black! What's gotten into you, anyways, Dash? Why are you actin' like this?"

The pegasus pony spit out some blood and then wiped the corner of her mouth. "I've realized that I don't have any friends. E-everything is just horseshit."

AppleJack's eyes started to water. She walked over and put her arm over Dash's shoulder. Strangely enough, Dash let her do it. Smile on her face, the orange earth pony started to explain to her friend her thoughts.

"Look, Ah really am sorry that Ah fought ya and beat ya down, but you was actin' foolish, Rainbow! If Ah was in your position, Ah'd expect ya ta do the same... that's what friends do! We're honest with each other and we let them know when they're actin' a fool!"

Unfortunately, these words had no effect on the drunken pegasus. What came out of Rainbow Dash's mouth next caused AppleJack to let go of her friend back away.

"Yeah," muttered Dash, "ya beat me down like Granny Smith beats you."

AppleJack's jaw dropped. Her breathing became harsher and her smile disappeared. Rainbow lifted her eyebrow and gave a half-cocked smile. She still stumbled over herself a little.

"_What_?" she asked in a voice like a whisper. "You didn't think I knew - or other ponies knew - what was going on be-behind closed doors at 'Sweet' Apple Acres? I remember you constantly coming into school with bruises or, or cuts and black eyes... 'Oh, a tree branch hit me in the face' or 'An apple fell on my head'... And, and now that your Granny is too weak to hitcha, she decides to put you down verbally, because you let her, huh? Why weren't you honest with me then? Aren't you the Element -"

"Stop it right now," said AppleJack, tears on her face.

"- of Honesty? You're quite the little hypocrite, aren'tcha?"

"Stop it."

"It felt good getting out all of that repressed anger, didn't it? Want to do it again? I'm game. I'll -"

AppleJack stomped her hoof on the ground. "Ya want me ta be 'honest' with ya? Fine! Ah hope that Ah never see you again! Yain't no friend of mine and ya never will be! And don'tcha ever step foot in Sweet Apple Acres again."

AppleJack walked away from Rainbow Dash. She grabbed her hat back from the random gawker and ran out of town, tears flying from her cheeks. The crowd dispersed; some of the members shot Rainbow dirty looks, some muttered angry words, some did both. Ultimately, everypony left without doing anything, and once again in her life, Rainbow Dash was drunk and alone.

* * *

AppleJack arrived at Sweet Apple Acres to find a very angry Granny Smith standing in front of the barn. She was tapping her hoof on the ground impatiently while Big Mac and Apple Bloom stood behind her, both with concerned looks on their faces. Blushing and lowering her head, AppleJack slowly walked up to her grandmother and started to think about what she was going to say.

"Get into a fight, did ya?" asked Granny Smith.

"Y-yes ma'am," said AppleJack. "Ah'm sorry."

Walking over to the injured earth pony, Granny Smith raised a hoof and smacked her granddaughter over the head. AppleJack's knees buckled slightly. A whimper came from Apple Bloom's mouth, but Big Mac covered it up before Granny could hear it.

"Ah hope thatcher not to hurt ta pick them apples, gurl! By Celestia, if yer parents were still alive, they woulda died o' shame if they knew you was some stupid brawler. Shee-it. We have a stupid fighter" - Granny pointed to AppleJack - "a mute moron" - she pointed to Big Mac - "and a crybaby!" - she pointed to Apple Bloom, who was beginning to sob. Rolling her eyes, Granny Smith walked into the house.

"No supper for you, AppleJack! Now get ta pickin'!"

* * *

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I'm writing this letter to let you know that I am formally giving up on being the holder of the Element of Honesty. I realize that this will be detrimental to the group, but I feel that if they keep me, I will be a liability. I am very sorry to let you, my friends, Ponyville, and all of Equestria down. Please forgive me for doing this, but I feel that this will be for the best._

_ AppleJack_

* * *

A day passed. Spike was cleaning the bookshelves and Twilight was reading through a book about Minotaur culture. Suddenly, Spike belched very loudly, green flames erupting from his mouth. Turning around, Twilight saw a scroll land on the floor and, picking it up, opened it very casually; Princess Celestia would send updates about Canterlot once in a while. The unicorn filly's eyes opened and she dropped the scroll.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" asked Spike.

Twilight began to read the letter:

_My Faithful Student,_

_In less than a week, two of your friends have relinquished their positions as keepers to their respective Elements. Right now, I am very busy with royal affairs, but I realize the severity of this situation and I will address it as soon as I possibly can. Expect me around midnight tonight._

_Your Just Ruler of All Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi,_

_Princess Celestia_

* * *

"This is bad, isn't it, Twilight?" asked Spike.

"Yes," replied Twilight, "it is very bad, Spike."


	4. The Thunderstorm IV: Midnight Meeting

** Midnight Meeting (The Thunderstorm IV)**

"Twilight Sparkle, we have a _very _big problem on our hooves. Two of your friends have relinquished their positions as holders of their respective Elements of Harmony. We must fix this before anything else goes wrong."

Princess Celestia's voice was stern, yet afraid. She was addressing Twilight Sparkle - her faithful student - who was pacing up and down the floor, sweat dripping from her cheeks. The young unicorn was exhausted. It was midnight and the ruler of all of Equestria was in her home, telling her that her group of friends was reneging on their responsibilities. Spike sat by, eyeing the two equines, fiddling with his thumbs. He also understood the severity of this situation and kept his mouth firmly shut. The Mane Six was breaking up and it was no time for sarcastic comments.

Twilight read over Rainbow Dash's letter to the Princess and then AppleJack's letter silently.

"Princess," she started, after finishing, "I don't know what to do. I have no idea where to start and even if I did know where to start, I'd -" Twilight put her hoof to her temple

and moaned. She shook her head a few times and began to pace even harder. Stomping her hoof on the wooden floor, she gritted her teeth and screamed. Noticing her student's frustration, the Princess walked over to comfort her.

"We'll get this problem solved, Twilight Sparkle," said Celestia in a soothing voice. "There's no need to act out right now. This is the time where we all need to keep our heads on our shoulders." She paused. Lifting Twilight's head up in her hoof, Princess Celestia looked into the filly's eyes. "When have you ever let me down? How could you possibly disappoint me, my faithful student?"

A small gasp broke through Twilight's mouth. Her eyes began to water. Struggling to regain herself, Twilight wiped away her tears and smiled. "You'll help me, won't you Princess?"

The Princess smiled. "Of course I will."

"But, _how _are we going to solve this?"

"There's a small dinner party at Canterlot Gardens in three days," replied the monarch. "It's a meeting up of some of the most influential ponies in all of Equestria; Prince Blue Blood, Fancy Pants, Mayor Neighly of Coltcago, and other extremely affluent ponies ."

"And you want us to...?" began Twilight, scrambling to find some words.

"Have fun," replied the Princess. "That's it: just bring all of your friends and have fun."

Twilight frowned a little. "Are you sure that that's going to work, Princess? I mean, I'm not trying to be rude, but we can't _party_ away our problems. Rainbow Dash has been avoiding me since that terrible thunderstorm we had a while back and I'm afraid that there will be some tension between us."

Celestia took her hoof and stroked Twilight's mane. She lowered her head next to the unicorn filly's face. "Of all the books you've read, I'm surprised that you haven't picked up one simple truth: friendship will overcome the worst of obstacles. Hatred, anger, doubt, fear... they are all powerful at the moment they rear themselves from the abyss of a pony's heart, but strength in kindness, loyalty, generosity, honesty, laughter, and the magic of friendship will strike them down. All that is good will eventually triumph." Celestia stroked Twilight's mane again, the young unicorn looking up at her monarch with wide eyes. "I don't know **_how_** you will unite the Mane Six, my dear student; all I know is that you **_will_**. Remember, you are never alone."

The Princess spread her wings out and dashed up towards the balcony. Twilight and Spike followed behind, hoping to say a few more words before their beloved monarch rode off into the night sky. Celestia was already gone.

A few moments of silence crept by. Spike spoke up. "Twilight?"

"Yes, Spike?"

"Is it okay if I come to the party?"

Before Twilight could answer, she noticed a shimmer of gold in one of her potted plants. She walked over and pulled out a ticket. Then another. Another ticket. Twilight pulled out all of the tickets and counted them up in front of Spike...seven tickets total. Looking at the names on the tickets, Twilight smirked.

"Oooohhhh, Spike?"

Spike's eyes brightened like a ruby. "**Did I get a ticket?!**"

Twilight handed him his ticket. "I guess the Princess wants to give me all the help I can to solve this little fiasco."

The dragon went in and hugged the purple unicorn. "C'mon Twilight," he chirped, "I don't need a ticket to help out a friend!"

The two friends embraced for a while longer and then went off to bed to rest up for the day ahead.

Morning. The next day. AppleJack and Big Mac were hard at work in the orchards, bucking apple trees. Little Apple Bloom had a basket on her head; she was collecting the falling apples. The three ponies were soaked with salty sweat and the aroma of dirt and crisp fruit. Their legs ached and their backs burned, but still, the ponies ignored the will to quit and bucked more apples from the north fields. All of this they did, while the omnipresent eye of Granny Smith was on them like skin on bone.

AppleJack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom continued collecting apples until noon. When the thousandth bead of sweat dripped from AJ's muzzle, the trio decided to take a break, finding little comfort in the small amount of shade that this sunny day had given them. Opening up a small wicker basket, AppleJack passed out some sandwiches and hay to her siblings, then took some for herself. Sitting under a the shade of a large apple tree, the three ponies ate in glum silence, chewing away their boredom. Sitting up abruptly, Apple Bloom noticed somepony in the distance coming towards them.

"Hey-a Twahlight!" she hollered, making AJ and Big Mac jump up. "What brings you here on this mighty hawt day?"

The unicorn smiled. "Hey Apple Bloom, AJ, Big Mac. How's everypony doing today?"

AppleJack got up and hugged her friend. "Hey sugar cube, it's a scorcher but we're gettin' along real well. Whatcha doin' out here? Come ta visit?"

Twilight Sparkle handed AppleJack her ticket. Looking down at the golden slip, AppleJack's eyes narrowed and her mouth dropped open and formed a smile. The earth pony looked back up at her friend, a smirk on her face.

"Another fancy-pants party?" She joked.

Twilight nodded. "Yup. And, since you mentioned it, Fancy Pants will be there too!"

AJ chuckled. "Ah'll bet Rarity's goin' crazy at that fact, huh? She's goin' too, aint she?"

"Yes," replied Twilight, nodding again. "I already gave her and Fluttershy their tickets. After you, I'm going to Sugar Cube Corner to give one to Pinkie, and then I have to find Rain-"

Before the unicorn could finish her sentence, AppleJack thrust her ticket back into her friend's hoof and sat back down to eat her lunch. Standing there, confused, Twilight held the ticket and looked at it, surveying the fringes and the print before speaking up again.

"AppleJack," she started, "Princess Celestia came to me last night and told me that you and, uh, 'You-Know-Who' gave up your Elements of Harmony. Why?"

"No reason," said AppleJack nonchalantly.

"It's 'cuz you ain't _honest_ no more, I guess," muttered Apple Bloom. Her older sister turned her head and shot a mean look. Apple Bloom resumed eating her lunch.

"Well, actually I read the letter you sent Celestia," Twilight said. "I just wanted to confirm the message of it. Do you really think that you're a 'liability' to the group?"

"A lia- wut?" butted in Apple Bloom. Big Mac put one of his large hooves over her mouth and motioned for her to keep quiet and finish her meal.

Shifting her head uncomfortably, AJ cleared her throat and stood up next to Twilight. "Ah..." she cut herself off. Twilight urged her on. "Well, 'You-Know-Who and Ah, well, we sorta... Okay, she was picking on BonBon for some reason and Ah stepped in and tried ta play peace pony, and we -"

"You and Dash got into a fight?"

"Y-yes. We fought and even that didn't sober her up!"

"Rainbow Dash was drunk?" Twilight pushed back some of her mane. She trotted, starting to stress out, and then she calmed herself by breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. After exhaling, she began again.

"So, you and Rainbow got into a fight and you wrote a letter to Celestia saying that you were 'detrimental' to the Mane Six?"

"Ah figured that if Dash was gonna be in the group and we had a fallin' out, Ah should just leave." AppleJack put her head down. "Sorry, hun."

Twilight's eyebrows furrowed and she snorted. She stomped her hoof on the ground, kicking up some dirt. "Guess what, AJ? Rainbow Dash already left the group; you're the second pony to give up! Congratulations." Shoving the ticket into her friend's chest, Twilight Sparkle walked off, angrily shaking her head. She reached the gate of Sweet Apple Acres and leaned on one side, putting her hoof to her forehead. Two of the Elements of Harmony were down; two too many.

Before the unicorn filly walked off of the farm, she heard hoof steps behind her. She turned around to see AppleJack holding her ticket.

"Ah'll go," said the orange earth pony. "Ah'm not gonna be like Rainbow and give up on ya. Ah'll come witcha to the party."

A small smile worked its way onto Twilight's face and then disappeared. "Instead of focusing on 'not being like Rainbow Dash', you should just focus on 'being yourself' and come with me as my **friend**. I'll see you there, okay?"

Twilight Sparkle walked off while AppleJack nodded her head, slightly ashamed.

Pinkie Pie was in the alleyway behind Sugar Cube Corner. She had one hoof against the wall of the building; she was panting heavily, some sweat dried against her forehead. Blinking a few times helped to deal with the vertigo. Looking down at the smelly garbage bags gave her enough motivation to completely empty out the contents of her stomach. After all, if she didn't, how could she be thin, like Rarity? Or toned, like her friends AppleJack and Rainbow Dash? If Pinkie was to be thin like her friends, she needed to purge. She needed to eat to keep _some_ nutrients - and to keep up the facade that she was still the same, free-spirited party pony - and she needed to purge to thin out instead of plumping up.

She placed her free hoof up to her mouth and swallowed. Opening up her mouth again, Pinkie shoved her hoof to the bag of her throat and aggravated her gag reflex. Pulling her hoof out of her mouth, the pink filly began to retch and cough. A trickle of her oats sandwich, some cupcakes, and some juice dribbled from between her teeth and tongue and landed on the garbage bags below like a viscous waterfall. Using both of her front legs, Pinkie Pie leaned up against the wall, panting, spitting out remnants of her previous meal.

"Okay," she said to herself, "okay. I can - _spit_ - I can do this. I can keep - _spit, spit _- I can keep this up. Nopony has to know, nopony... Oh, Celestia. I can't - _spit _- I can't do this! I, I can't. There's no way that I can do this for -" Pinkie heaved and gagged. "Am I gonna have to do this for the rest of my life? Keep it a **secret**? Secrets don't make friends. I - _spit _- can't do this forever and not tell -"

"Tell who, Pinkie?" An inquisitive voice asked.

Pinkie jolted and turned to see Rainbow Dash rising out of some garbage bags. She moaned and rubbed her head with one hoof, clutching a half-empty bottle of hard liquor in another. She was covered with the grime and stench of Sugar Cube Corner's waste.

"Tell who, Pinkie?" Dash asked again. "Who can't you tell your secret to?"

"Oh," said the pink pony, "um, I was... rehearsing for a play! Yeah, I was -"

"Knock it off, Pinkie," retorted Rainbow Dash, "I know that you're lying. What's your secret?"

Opening her mouth then closing it again, Pinkie Pie reeled back a step and tried to run off, but Rainbow - despite her slightly drunken condition - flew up and over her fleeing friend, landing directly in front of her. Putting up a hoof to stop any further escape, Rainbow Dash took a swig of alcohol from her bottle and pointed it at Pinkie.

Eyes wide, the pink filly fell backwards, her rainbow-colored friend standing over her.

"Now," said Rainbow, crouching down, "what's wrong?"

"I'm..." trembled Pinkie, "I'm a -"

Rainbow lifted an eyebrow. "You're a -?"

Putting her head down, Pinkie Pie sighed and said: "I'm a fatty. I'm a _plump pony_."

"What? Pinkie, you're **not **fat! At the most, you're - well, you're fine. You look good. Quit worrying."

"Mack said I was a fat bitch," muttered Pinkie. These words were enough to sober up Dash.

"Where is this guy?" RD demanded.

Pinkie thought for a moment. "He said that he was from Los Pegasus and that he'd be in town for the week. Why?"

Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves together. "'Cause somepony is gonna get their head kicked in."

Twilight was on her way to Sugar Cube Corner to give Pinkie Pie and - hopefully - Rainbow Dash their tickets to a party at Canterlot Gardens. She was surveying the clouds in the sky, when a large crowd of ponies caught her attention. Fearing the worst, Twilight maneuvered her way into the crowd, hoping that it was not a fight between a random pony and... Rainbow Dash. Her fears were correct.

There, in the eye of the crowd of ponies, was RD throttling a random brown pegasus with punch after punch after punch. The brown pegasus pony was on the ground, nearing unconsciousness, pathetically apologizing between gasps of breath and drops of blood. Twilight stood in horror amidst a crowd that was cheering on the carnage. Lifting her eyes away from the fight, the young unicorn filly noticed another one of her friends smiling uneasily at the fight scene. It was Pinkie Pie. She was clutching her stomach with one hoof.

Instinctually, Twilight rushed over towards Rainbow Dash and pulled back one of her hooves. Turning around, Rainbow came face-to-face with one of her best friends and her angry face melted into surprise. The crowd stopped cheering and slowly started to disperse. Pinkie Pie walked over to her friends and the beaten pony - a 'Mack' by name - and stopped in front of Twilight.

"I caused this," said Pinkie. "Mack called me a 'fat bitch' after I beat him in a game of plump pony and I told Rainbow Dash about it."

"Serves you right, you piece of trash," spat Rainbow Dash into Mack's face. Mack curled up and continued his slew of apologies, this time directed at Pinkie. Pinkie assured him that it was alright and Twilight was about to commend her pink friend for doing so, but RD moved in front of the unicorn filly and pushed her back.

"What do you want?" demanded Dash in a gravelly whisper. "Huh? Didja come here ta lecture me on how big of a **loser **I am? On how big of a loser I've become? Huh?! Go on: tell me I'm a failure. I can take it. Hell, I've heard it my whole life and I've got thick skin from it. What? Why're starting to cry? You gonna cry, you Canterlot prude?! Say something, princess! Go on! SAY SOMETHING!"

Instead of crying, Twilight quietly handed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie their tickets. "Your invitations."

Rainbow Dash took the tickets from Twilight's hoof and studied them. She passed one over to Pinkie, who accepted it calmly.

"I'll expect you two to be there in three days. The Princess ordered it." Twilight was hoping that RD would not catch her bluff; Celestia never explicitly stated that this party was _mandatory_, only that Twilight should "bring all of her friends and have fun". Well, it was implied, anyway. Twilight desperately tried not to overthink what the Princess said or didn't say.

"And what if I say 'no'?" asked Rainbow.

"Then get banished to the moon then," retorted Twilight, "I don't know. It's really up to you to make your own choice and be responsible." She turned to her pink pony pal. "Pinkie, there'll be lots to do at that party, I'm sure of it. And there will be a lot to munch on: all kinds of cakes, cookies, candies, ice cream -"

"Okay," said Pinkie, cutting her off frantically. "I-I get it. I'll, uh, I'll be there... Twilight, yeah. Thanks for the ticket." Before Twilight could say 'You're welcome', Pinkie darted off towards her house.

Rainbow Dash glared at Twilight Sparkle. "So, I'm not 'responsible'?"

"I never said that," shot back Twilight, "I just said that it's your responsibility to make a choice whether or not you want to come to the party." She paused, then changed the subject. "So instead of being a holder of the Element of Loyalty, I see you've taken up another **responsibility**: drunken brawling."

Dash's nostrils flared. "You wanna be another challenger, Sparkle?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, but if you're really serious about getting drunk and fighting, you can come to the party; plenty of booze to drink... Oh, and AppleJack will be there, just in case you want to go another round."

The pegasus' eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared even more. She stomped her hoof on the ground. "I hate you."

Twilight, keeping her composure, replied: "You're still my friend and I want to see you happy. Please, come to the party."

Twilight began to walk back home, but then she turned back around and faced an angry Rainbow Dash. "I'm sorry for teasing you about AppleJack. I want to see you two as friends again."


	5. The Thunderstorm V: Party Time

**Party Time ****(****The Thunderstorm V) **

The day of the party had arrived. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were all in a group on their way to meet with AppleJack. Each of the ponies were wearing beautiful dresses that fit each of their unique personalities; Spike wore a black tuxedo top with a red bowtie... along with a fake mustache and a top hat. Each of the fillies were happily discussing random topics, ranging from who was to be at the Canterlot Gardens party, to the food (Pinkie shirked away when this topic came up), to the musicians and decorations. Twilight's stress level had gone down exponentially, but the damaged relationship between her and Rainbow Dash tugged at her stomach and heart. She kept calm and talked to her friends when necessary, but the only pony who knew the _true _root of Twilight's problem with Rainbow Dash was Rarity; the white unicorn had kept her promise to Twilight too. She had not told RD's secret to anypony.

The group arrived at Sweet Apple Acres to find AppleJack at the front gate. She was also wearing her special dress and she had her mane covering her left eye. Nopony seemed to really notice except Rarity, who applauded her for mixing up her style and being "more chique, less country bumpkin". AJ giggled nervously and quickly changed the subject towards the party and the small herd reiterated their previous conversations to the orange earth pony (Pinkie Pie again stayed clear of conversations about the food).

Suddenly, Fluttershy changed the subject, unknowingly changing it for the worst. "Ummm, where's Rainbow Dash? I thought she would be invited too."

AppleJack let out a frustrated sigh and the group fell silent.

"So," said Rarity cautiously, "Twilight, dear. Do you think that the Princess -" she was cut off by a _**swoop! **_from above. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike jumped as Rainbow Dash landed beside Twilight, clutching a bottle of wine in her hoof. The scared ponies quickly recovered from their fear and began to ask the blue pegasus how she was doing and what she planned on doing at the party. Rarity and Twilight looked at each other nervously.

"I thought that I'd be fancy," said Dash. "Y'know, I thought that I'd bring a nice bottle of wine to the party. Originally, I was gonna bring my bottle of Cloudsdale Whiskey, but that wasn't classy enough."

"Oh," replied Fluttershy. "Oh, um, well that's really good thinking, Rainbow." The yellow pony put her head down in shame. "Now I feel awful: I didn't know that we were supposed to bring something to the party."

Twilight smiled. "It's okay Fluttershy. Princess Celestia is going to supply all the food, games, -"

"And wine?" butted in Rainbow.

"Uh, yeah," replied the purple unicorn, slightly annoyed. "She'll supply the wine too."

"Sweetness." The blue pegasus removed the cork with her mouth and took a swig from the bottle. Rarity gave Twilight a concerned looked, AppleJack rolled her eyes, and the rest of the group continued on with a random conversation for the sake of the group's stability.

* * *

The trainride to Canterlot gave the Mane Six and Spike a lot of downtime. The group continued talking; this time the conversation switched to crushes the ponies had over the years. Rainbow's breathing constricted. She glared at Twilight, who replied with a nervous smile. Rarity shifted her eyes quickly from Twilight to Rainbow, hoping that the blue pegasus did not know the she knew the secret Twilight had told her a while back. Pinkie and Spike bantered back and forth about past loves while Fluttershy and AppleJack occasionally butted in.

"I remember this stallion back in high school," started Pinkie, "oh, he was sssssoooooo _dreamy_. Buck Stormcloud, that bronze pegasus hunk!"

"You had a crush on _him_?!" exclaimed AppleJack. "Shoot. He was as arrogant as they come. You're bettr'n that, Pinkie."

Pinkie's smiled drooped. "Thanks AJ, but it really-super-duper hurt when he stood me up at Sugar Cube Corner."

"I'll bet it did," commented Spike. "Even if he was a jerk, it still hurts when you're put down by somepony you're crazy for."

"I know that feeling **all too well**," added Rainbow Dash, taking another fat gulp from her wine bottle. "Happened to me a while ago, 'cept the pony was a unicorn. Smart, fun, attractive... didn't even give me a second look." She took another drink. Rarity tapped her hoof on the side of the window, Twilight tried to keep a blank face.

"Yeah," added Spike, "I know that feel too. But, ya gotta move on sometime. I mean, time heals all wounds and if you don't give time a chance to heal, you'll be hurt forever."

Rainbow Dash excused herself from the group and the other ponies - with the exception of Twilight and Rarity - continued on without much notice.

"Alrighty y'all," said AppleJack, "now Ah gotta tell about my love life. There was one earth pony - Blazing Saddles - that had a fancy for me. Granny Smith kept pushin' me to get with him, but Ah refused and refused until I turned blue." She chuckled.

"Why didn't you like him?" asked Fluttershy meekly. "Wasn't he a nice pony?"

"Oh he was nice," replied AJ, "and Ah did like him, but I wasn't interested in hookin' up with him. He woulda been much more good-lookin' if he didn't, uh, _break wind _ like a pegasus, if ya know what Ah mean." Fluttershy and Pinkie laughed. Even Rarity and Twilight, who were still focused on RD's situation, allowed themselves a break. Spike, however, scratched his head.

"I don't get it," he admitted. "So was he a pegasus or an earth pony?" The group burst out laughing. Pinkie Pie ruffled his head.

"Spike," said Pinkie, "we love you. You're the bestest dragon ever!"

"Well, what aboutchu, sugarcube?" asked AppleJack, directing herself towards Twilight. "Ah heard that you and my cuz Red Delicious had quite the time eatin' up all them jello shots at Fluttershy's party a while back." She winked. The unicorn blushed in response.

"Um," started Twilight, almost as quietly as Fluttershy, "I um... He's a nice st-stallion. We had some fun. He knows quite a lot about the history of Equestria and I was surprised that he knew so much about Canterlot. I mean, when I told him what part of the city I was from, he rattled off it's history and famous ponies like it was nothing."

"Yep," replied the orange pony, "he likes to read and work. When he a'int doin' one, he's doin' the other. Want me ta fix you two up? He's lookin', Twalight; don't miss your chance, hun." Twilight Sparkle's cheeks turned as pink as Pinkie's hair. She put her head in between her shoulders and squeeked out a small smile for the group. Rarity nudged her in the side.

"He _does _have that country stud look going for him, dahling," she said to her embarrassed friend. "And that's **always **in style."

"Careful Twilight," teased Spike. "It looks like you got some competition!" Everypony laughed.

"So are ya interested?" asked AppleJack.

Twilight thought for a moment, then sheepishly answered, "Yes." Everypony started to lightly tease Twilight, then congratulated her on getting a date.

AppleJack flicked back her mane. "Well alrighty then! Sounds mighty good ta have Twalight as an in-law!"

Twilight's smile disappeared from her face. None of the other ponies had really took any notice to AppleJack's mane being in front of her left eye except for Rarity, and even she did not give too much thought into her friend's new look. Underneath her blonde hair, AJ had an enormous black eye. Twilight seized the opportunity to ask her friend what had happened.

"AJ, your eye," said Twilight Sparkle. "What happened to your eye?"

Noticing that she was vunerable, AppleJack quickly covered her injured eye with her mane. "Oh, um, just a tree branch is all, sugar. A tree branch smacked me in the eye and turned it black. No big deal."

Now the other ponies started to take notice. Fluttershy started to console AJ, while Pinkie Pie let out a gasp and then went slightly off topic about past injuries the Mane Six experienced.

"AppleJack, are you okay? Does it hurt?" squeaked Fluttershy.

"Ah'm fine, Fluttershy," AJ replied. "Thanks anyway."

"- And then there was that time that Rarity had trouble removing her horseshoe and it hit Rainbow Dash in the face and we had to take her to the doctor to get stitches. Oh! And I remember when I had a bad toothache -" rambled Pinkie.

Rarity went over and touched AppleJack's face. "I have some cover-up that'll hide that horibble bruise. You simply cannot go into Canterlot Gardens like this. Allow me."

Before AJ could object to Rarity's intrusion, her black eye was covered completely in a matter of moments. Handing her friend a small mirror, Rarity asked for the earth filly's feedback on the make-up job. AppleJack smiled and thanked the white pony for her work.

"It's..." started AppleJack. "'Marvelous' as you'd say. Thank ya kindly, Rarity." Rarity gave AJ a pat on the back and went back to her seat next to Twilight. Pinkie Pie was still rambling on about past injuries. Fluttershy quietly, yet successfully, stopped her friend's diatribe and brought her back into the real world. Spike fiddled with his bowtie and fake mustache.

Then Fluttershy suddenly asked: "Where's Rainbow?"

* * *

Rainbow Dash was sitting on top of a passenger car, chugging the last bit of wine she had left. After chucking the bottle, she pulled out a small flask and took a large gulp. Rainbow put the flask away and then continued to stare out at Canterlot Castle, which was coming closer with every turn of the train's wheels. She noticed its shining rooftops and sparkling waterfalls, the mountains and green valleys, the glistening white walls and the stars above, and then, without any provocation, she burst into tears. RD's cheeks became soaked with every bottled thought and emotion.

"Oh Celestia," she said to herself, "I'm a loser. I'm a loser, just like my dad. I'm gonna t-turn out like him: no friends, no family, nothing. I'm gonna spend the rest of my days as a drunk, talking about how everything sucks. And **it does. **There's no point to this."

She pulled out her flask again and took another gulp, some of the alcohol dripping down her chin. Exhaling loudly, Rainbow took another, this time smaller, gulp and put the flask back into her dress. "Why did I even come to this?"

"Because deep down inside, you still care about us." A voice rang out behind the blue pegasus: it was Twilight Sparkle, clinging on to the roof of the passenger car. Rainbow's eyes widened with every struggling step Twilight took. Walking over to her friend, Rainbow held out a hoof to help. Reaching for Rainbow's hoof, Twilight stuck out her own hoof and tried grabbed on.

The passenger car swayed a little and Twilight lost balance and rolled to one side, letting out a small scream. Rainbow Dash sprung to catch her friend. Grabbing hold of the unicorn before she was completely off the roof, Rainbow took her friend in her hooves and flew to the caboose. Looking up, Twilight smiled and thanked her pegasus friend, who replied: "Be careful next time."

* * *

Inside of the caboose, Twilight Sparkle was comforting a half-drunken Rainbow Dash.

"Y-you almost _died_, Twilight," bawled Dash. "I almost didn't catch you! And it's all because, because you had to come looking for me."

"We were all getting worried, Rainbow Dash," replied Twilight. "I had to look for you: you're my friend. Why don't you come join us now, okay? We can just relax and have a fun time at the party. Don't worry about -" Twilight was cut off by a kiss from Rainbow Dash. She pulled herself away from the pegasus and frowned.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" asked Twilight, her voice slightly raised. "You cannot, **cannot** force ponies to fall in love! Please, you need to get over me. Your drinking isn't a good remedy."

"Don't do this to me, Twilight," demanded Rainbow Dash. "It's killing me! You think that I want to be like this? You think that I want to be a drunk?"

"You're doing this to yourself! I'm not forcing the bottle to your lips! I'm not the one helping you get over me by drinking!"

"After all I've done for you -"

"Rainbow, please, don't -"

"After being the Element of Loyalty -"

Twilight stamped her hoof. "You gave up on that! You gave up on yourself completely! Yes, ponies get depressed. Yes, sometimes a song isn't enough to lift your mood. But, Rainbow, **you need to get over me**! You think that you're the only one hurt? What about me? Look at the position _I _was put into. I was put in a difficult situation and I handled it the best that I could, but it's still blowing up in my face! Now, I have a friend who has lost all motivation and all sense of responsibility and keeps blaming others for her problems! Celestia Almighty, what can I say to solve this problem? What can I finally do to put this to rest? Damnit all!"

A few more stomps pounded their way out of Twilight Sparkle's system. Rainbow stood at the back of the caboose, eyes damp and head down. After releasing some anger, Twilight looked up at her friend. Rainbow Dash stared back at her, a smile tugging a corner of her mouth upward.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow, but this has to stop. Don't ruin a friendship."

"That's what I love about you, egghead," replied RD, her voice coarse. "You always know what to do and say. You can always put things into perspective."

Silence fell between the two ponies. Rainbow Dash spoke up again.

"Twilight," she said, "I don't wanna be like this."

"But you being the way you are is why you're my friend, Rainbow. Just be you and I'll be me."

The two ponies decided to go in for a hug, but Rainbow Dash stopped and stared behind Twilight. Turning around, Twilight saw the rest of her friends gathered at the door, all with varying facial expressions. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were in shock; Rarity - who knew about Rainbow Dash's feelings on Twilight beforehand - lowered her head and tried to pretend that none of this was happening; Spike was utterly confused; and AppleJack was eyeing Rainbow Dash, completely disgusted.

"What in all of Equestria is goin' on?!" shouted AppleJack. "Just what is all of this 'you need ta get over me' horse shit? Rainbow, are you a -"

"AppleJack," advised Rarity, "please stop right there. We don't need to make this a bigger problem than it already is."

"Rainbow Dash," asked Pinkie, "what was with you and that -?" Pinkie made a hugging-and-kissing motion. Fluttershy blushed and looked away. Spike was quickly turning his head to whichever pony was talking at the time, his fake moustache almost falling off his face.

"I didn't think that you two were, you know, an item," muttered Fluttershy. "I mean, I _guess_ it's okay... I don't really know."

"Fluttershy!" exclaimed Rarity. "This is Rainbow Dash we're talking about here! She's our friend!"

"Yeah," agreed Pinkie Pie, "but I think Rainbow kinda-sorta-maybe confused friend with something else. I mean..."

Twilight furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean, Pinkie?" She turned to Fluttershy. "And we're not an item, Fluttershy. We were discussing -"

"Discussing **what**, exactly, Twalight?" AppleJack narrowed her eyes at Rainbow Dash, who shirked away a little bit. "What is goin' on? We all saw y'all kissing an' hugging right where yer standing. What is this? Is Rainbow a -"

"Don't say it!" said Twilight and Rarity in unison.

"Is Rainbow a lespony?" Fluttershy asked meekly.

Everypony stopped talking and fell silent. AppleJack huffed air through her nose, Spike was still clueless, Fluttershy ashamedly turned her head to the side, and Pinkie raised an eyebrow. Twilight and Rarity had their hooves on their faces. Rainbow Dash darted her eyes from one set of friends to the next, then back again. The blue pegasus' mouth started to quiver and she gulped the lump in her throat and then tried to cover it up with a cough. Not one of them opened their mouths afterwards. The only sounds that could be heard were the train chugging along on its metal road and the whistle blowing from the front.

AppleJack finally spoke up. "Ah'm goin' back ta mah seat. You girls comin'?" She burst through the caboose door, not waiting for any of her friends to answer. After a few moments passed, Pinkie Pie left, followed by Fluttershy, who looked at Rainbow and Twilight with teary eyes and then walked away slowly. Spike, still a bit perplexed but understanding Twilight's unease, stayed behind.

Spike's curiousity got the better of him and he piped up. "Twilight," he asked, "what's a... a _lespony_?"

The purple unicorn shot hima stern glance. "Spike, please! Don't ask that now."

"I just wanted to know. Why is it such a big deal?"

Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Rarity all bowed their heads. Rainbow answered the young dragon's question after some time passed.

"Spike," started the pegasus, "a lespony is somepony who likes other mares."

The dragon itched his head. "Okaaaaaay..." he replied. "So does that make _me_ a lespony?" The two unicorns and the pegasus raised thier heads, each of them casting a confused expression towards their scaly friend.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Rarity, sounding like she was holding back a small giggle while trying to sound stern. Twilight looked like she couldn't blink.

"Well, I mean it's no surprise to any of you that I like Rarity here... and Rarity's a mare, right? And, I'm somepony who likes a mare - like you said - so... I guess I'm a lespony too?"

Rainbow Dash cracked a smile through her tears and Twilight and Rarity followed her lead. Putting an arm around Spike, the winged filly carefully explained why the young dragon was "kinda on point", but ultimately wrong.

"Spike," she started. "Yeah, we all know you like Rarity, and Rarity's flattered by it -" they turned to see the white pony blush and smile "- but you're a _boy _dragon and she's a _girl _ pony. Me, I'm a girl pony too." She paused to make sure that her lizard pal was following along, then continued. "I like other mares. Like Twilight." Rainbow stared at Twilight with a dreamy expression and her unicorn friend smiled, a combination of understanding, uneasiness, and flattery.

"But of course you like her," butted in Spike. "Twilight's your friend. She's always been there - " He finally realized what Rainbow was saying to him and his mouth dropped. Looking at Twilight, then at Rainbow, he leaned up against the door and took a deep breath. The three fillies started to worry about Spike; they wanted to know if he was going to pass out or pass judgement on Rainbow Dash. After a few long breaths, the purple dragon spoke up.

"Wow," he said. "I didn't even know it was possible for mares to like other mares that way. Can colts do the same with colts?" He looked at Rarity, who nodded. "Wow... Twilight?"

"Yeah, Spike?" the unicorn replied.

"Are you a lespony too?"

"No Spike, I'm not."

Spike looked at Rainbow Dash and then to Twilight. "Hey Rainbow?"

The pegasus smiled. "Yeah, Spike?"

"It must really hurt to have somepony you've really fallen for not feel the same for you, huh?" The young dragon bowed his head, his eyes shifting to Rarity. The three ponies smiled, Rarity tearing up the most. Twilight let out a small laugh.

Hugging her lizard pal a little closer, Rainbow Dash said:

"Spike, we all love you. Do you know that?"


	6. The Thunderstorm VI: Canterlot Gardens

**Canterlot Gardens (The Thunderstorm VI)**

The party went terribly for the Mane Six. They were split up throughout the evening. Twilight, Rarity, and AppleJack (along with Spike) were together while Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie wandered around, avoiding their friends. The ponies drank, ate (except for Pinkie, who was trying to suck in her stomach), and socialized, keeping up a formal appearance. AJ was still thinking of what had happened on the train earlier and she wore a scowl during the party, intimidating other ponies away from having a conversation. Fluttershy just followed around Pinkie, tasting cupcakes and striking up chats with whomever came close.

Rainbow Dash was downing glass after glass of wine, while Rarity, Twilight, and Spike became good party guests. Fancy Pants, Blue Blood, and other affluent ponies conversed with them about the state of affairs of Equestria, social issues, Parliament, and other issues of the day affecting the citizens. Everything was going fine, until the blue Pegasus voiced her drunken opinion.

"Ya know," she started, holding back a hiccup, "I could definitely live in this city. I mean, it's not some backwards hellhole like Ponyville or Cloudsdale, ya know? Jeez, every- *hiccup!* everypony in those towns are gossipy, conniving, judgmental, hypocritical –"

Twilight put a hoof over her friend's mouth, smiling nervously. The other ponies smiled and made up an excuse to leave.

"Rainbow!" scolded Rarity. "Watch what you say and how you say it! You can't carry on like some brash wannabe politician. You need to be gentle."

"Gentle?" scoffed Rainbow Dash. "Gentle? Why should I be gentle or silent or, or in the shadows?"

"What in Equestria are you talking about?"

"I mean…" suddenly, the Pegasus stopped talking and swallowed. She gagged a little, putting her hoof to her mouth. Without warning, Dash flew off and went to find the bathroom. Rarity and Twilight sighed.

Rainbow Dash had finished vomiting; she held her mane back, tears in her eyes. Her dress was rumpled and a bit damp from some sweat. Luckily, nopony else was in the bathroom when she was in a vulnerable state. It was embarrassing enough that she was losing her friends.

She got up slowly from the toilet and flushed. Straightening herself out, Dash stumbled to the sink to wash her hooves and clean out the nasty taste from her mouth. The cool water cleansed the residue from her hooves and it sloshed around in her mouth, going in between her teeth and under her tongue. After Rainbow had finished, she stared at her reflection and began to sob.

"Why should I be silent about who I am? I'm the most confident out of the whole group and I'm afraid to tell the world who I really am, what I'm really like. I'm such a coward."

"You will always be a friend, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow turned her attention to the door to see Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie? What are you doing here?"

Pinkie motioned to her blue friend that she was planning on purging. Dash shook her head.

"No, Pinkie, don't do that. You're fine the way you are. Don't hurt yourself because you want to make everypony else happy."

Pinkie gave a half-cocked smile. "I could say the same for you, silly. Just be you, Dashy. That's why you're my friend."

Twilight and Rarity were talking with Fluttershy and AppleJack, trying to pretend that their previous argument did not happen. Spike was off enjoying some donuts and punch, so the ponies had the opportunity to discuss serious matters. AJ was still very upset and Twilight was trying to reconcile the group.

"But she's your friend, AppleJack," said the purple unicorn. "The only thing different about her is that we all found out about her, um, 'secret'. She's the same pony we all know and love."

"Yeah," retorted AJ, "but she seems to love you a little bit more, sugar cube. Behavior like that is just, is just… well, Ah guess it has ta do with how Ah was raised. I ain't fond of her type."

Rarity sighed. "Dahling, I know we can't change you, but this is Rainbow we're talking about, not some monster. If you two don't get past your own stubbornness, the Elements of Harmony will cease to be. We can't let our pettiness cause danger for all of Equestria. Please, I'm begging you: get past your differences."

There was a slight pause that filled the air around the pony friends. Twilight and Rarity were waiting for their orange earth pony friend to answer, while Fluttershy's eyes shifted back and for the between the mares, the tension causing her to shirk.

Finally, AJ answered. "Ah s'pose Ah can try. Ah mean, for all y'all and the Elements. But, if Rainbow won't budge, neither will Ah."

AppleJack walked off to find the blue Pegasus before either Twilight or Rarity could say anything.

"Ah can't believe Ah agreed to this so quickly."

AppleJack was storming around the Palace, trying to find a drunken pegasus pony. She kept asking herself why she should make up with her former friend. After all, RD was nothing but a stubborn, hot-headed thug. There is no reasoning with thugs, unless it is a brawl or an exchange of heated words.

The orange pony sighed. "She better accept mah apology or else Ah ain't never going back to having the Element of Honesty."

AJ looked around the ballroom and in the gardens to find her former friend, but there was no sign of her. Forty minutes passed and the earth pony was wondering if RD was watching her movements and avoiding her. What was the point of apologizing if Dash was avoiding her?

"Why bother?" AJ asked herself.

"Bother with what?" asked a voice from behind. AppleJack turned to see Pinkie and Rainbow. Rainbow was now sobered up.

"With what?" asked Pinkie again.

The orange pony stumbled over her words. "Um, uh, n-nothing, Pinkie. Ah was thinking out loud." She chuckled nervously.

"Hey Pinkie," said Dash, "will you get me some more punch?"

"What kind of punch?!" exclaimed the pink mare. AJ and RD looked at her, completely silent.

Pinkie looked back at her two friends, slowly catching on to Rainbow's hint. "Oh," she said, "sure, I can do that. I'll be right back." She scuttled away.

Twilight and Rarity gave a bow to Princess Celestia. The monarch had called for the two unicorns to discuss issues pertaining to the Elements and the safety of the kingdom. There were some reports from the Princess' spies that Queen Chrysalis was seeking an alliance with barbaric pony tribes in the mountains, readying forces to launch an attack on Equestrian villages. This news surprised the two mares, but Celestia reassured them to be calm. Twilight and Rarity were anything but calm.

"But Princess," exclaimed Twilight, "our friends are fighting! How can we combat the changelings if we're too busy –"

"It's like I said to you that one night, my dear student," said Celestia, her smile shining on the young unicorn. "I don't know how you will solve your problems, but you **will**. Have heart. You are all right here in my palace; you have the chance to be best friends again, to be stronger than you ever were. Don't lose your faith."

"Thank you for those words, Your Majesty," said Rarity, "but I'll have to agree with Twilight: the Mane Six is falling apart. I don't think we'll ever recover. Our pettiness is proving to be too much!"

"Not true at all, Rarity," replied the Princess. "Yes, your small differences are major obstacles now, but when you overcome them, you will be all the more resilient and wiser. No challenge is too great for you six ponies. You are the Elements of Harmony. You will overcome all tasks. Now, go and find your friends. Be happy again."

The two unicorns thanked Princess Celestia and bowed, turning away to find their friends.

"Twilight?" asked Rarity.

"Yes?"

"Do you have hope?"

Twilight lowered her head. "If the Princess has hope in us to overcome our troubles with friendship and understanding, then I see no reason for us to doubt."

Rarity nodded. "I agree, but I'm afraid. You heard Our Majesty: changelings and mountain pony tribes are poised to attack us and she's looking to us to stand strong against them. Can we do it?"

"I believe we can. We've all had problems before, why give up now?"


End file.
